By Antonina Zielinska

Children played soccer and raced in potato sacks in the churchyard while adults sat back enjoying some barbecue and the sight of freshly carved pumpkins.

St. Laurence Church, East New York, opened its gate Oct. 29 for an outdoor Family Harvest Day. The parish youth group, BAD, an acronym for Blessed and Delivered, organized the event inviting parishioners and the community at large to come play at church.

“We want to show that you can have fun in Christ – that God is not a boring God,” said Elliott Maisonet, a youth leader for 11 years.

He played the role of MC at the event, overseeing the egg run and other organized games and making sure the youngest children were safe as the older ones played.

Lisa Cover, who came to the festival with her 6-year-old son, Christopher, said she was thankful for the event. Her son was at sacrament preparation class that morning and asked her if they could buy tickets to the event, which were sold for $5 in advance, and $7 at the door.

She said she was happy to oblige with the request because it fit right into their schedules before they had to go on to their next Saturday activity.

“It’s a great opportunity to burn off some energy,” she said as she handed off her table soccer mallet to a kid who wanted to challenge her son to a game. She added that she is happy to support her church, which she has attended since she was a little girl.

German Medina, the youth minister of BAD, said bringing the community together for some fun was the main goal. He said that part of the youth ministry group is to go out and hand out flyers and let people know that St. Laurence and the youth group exist and that people are welcome to join. The Family Harvest Day supported that evangelization endeavor.

He said he also wants to help the youth of the community feel like they can come to church to have fun, while at the same time teaching them something. He said the youth group often features games of Jeopardy and Family Feud based on the Bible.

Friends Maria Ramirez, 17, and Elibeth Cabrera, 18, who go to school and BAD meetings together, came out to the Family Harvest Day to volunteer with the different activities.

“It’s a time to hang out with friends,” Ramirez said, who added she would have probably been sleeping or doing homework or chores if she was not out enjoying the nice weather with her church community.

She said the youth group at St. Laurence is important to her.

“It’s like having a support system,” she said. Having people to talk to “helps keep you sane.”

Cabrera said the youth group strengthens her by helping to keep her thoughts positive.

“It’s nice to be part of something,” Cabrera said.